Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #12 – Review

By: Chris Mowry (writer), Matt Frank (art), Mostafa Moussa (ink assists), Priscilla Tramontano (colors)

The Story: Freakin’ Jet Jaguar, man…

The Review: Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #12 was originally this series’ capstone issue and, though its popularity has bought it a longer lifespan, it’s clear that this was always intended as a big moment.

With Gezora in retreat, the Devonian forces are on their back foot. Godzilla has their monsters on the run and the armies of humanity have discovered their lair thanks to a defector. Unfortunately the ancient sea-dwellers are unwilling to go down without a fight, releasing a clutch of Destoroyah crustaceans to deal with the humans.

Over the last year, RoE has struggled to balance its desire to craft a new alien invasion story with the satisfying simplicity of daikaiju brawling. It may not be perfect, but this is probably the best fusion of the two yet. With battles raging on two fronts, there’s certainly enough action to keep readers satisfied. It helps that Matt Frank is delivering some of his clearest fight choreography of the series. Godzilla is clever without reaching the superhero levels of the Showa movies, bestial without becoming as villainous as in the Heisei movies, and sturdy without the stiffness of the Millennium series.

Frank also does some great things with Manda and Titanosaurus, teaming them up to provide the somewhat outdated kaiju with a second wind. Though Titanosaurus is the primary combatant, making him – her? – a rather nice foil for our own aquatic dinosaur, Frank does some excellent work with Manda. The Final Wars design looks particularly great as drawn by Frank and the serpentine kaiju adds a great deal to the compositions of the book.

Godzilla: Rulers of the Earth #10 – Review

By: Chris Mowry (writer), Matt Frank (art), Priscilla Tramontano (colors)

The Story: A kaiju attack in Australia puts Lucy on the front lines beside Sergeant Woods and, when Godzilla arrives, the Gargantuas will have to put their war aside if they mean to survive. Isn’t it great how Godzilla brings people together?

The Review: After a series of particularly intense issues, there’s a feeling of passing through the eye of the storm this month. That’s not to say that this issue is any less engaging than its brothers but it’s a more character-focused vintage.

Like the last issue, this story addresses some of the larger concerns, not just of this series but most daikaiju stories. Firstly there’s the importance of the human characters. While there have been moments, for the most part the human players have kind of gone with the flow, adapting to suit the plots demands. It’s long overdue that we start to get to know them as individuals and it wouldn’t hurt if they demonstrated a little agency over the events around them.

With this issue the human drama is finally streamlined, as Woods and Lucy Casprell become something of a team. Admittedly Woods seems a little quick to believe Lucy’s claims that the Earth has a plan for the kaiju but, while their relationship could use a touch of clarification, they each make a strong contrast for the other, which helps to define both characters.

Godzilla: Rulers of the Earth #8 – Review

By: Chris Mowry (writer), Matt Frank (art), Priscilla Tramontano (colors)

The Story: Without being too trite or too loose-lipped, big things are coming, for all of us.

The Review: Last month’s issue finally provided a crystallized example of this series’ structure while demonstrating Chris Mowry’s talent for tying the desperate threads of Godzilla’s universe together and highlighting the value of this continuity. It was a big job, but it got done. Now we open with Gigan and Orga defeated and Woods and Chavez trapped aboard an alien ship that’s under attack by Jet Jaguar.

The issue gets off to a promising start, but within a few pages, Mowry throws us an outstanding curveball. While the series has been generally improving over the course of its run, it’s been largely episodic. The revelation in this issue was just the kind of big cinematic moment that the series needed and heralds a definite shift within the story. Especially in a franchise where the studio was cranking out a new variation on the formula every year, playing with expectations is an essential element of a great Godzilla story, and Mowry does so wonderfully. Though there are still some lingering questions, Mowry delivers some of his best plotting and dialogue in this sequence and, as long as he addresses them eventually, I think the script is actually stronger for their omission.

Before we can even catch our breath, Godzilla arrives, only to find himself in the shadow of one of my favorite kaiju. Yes, seemingly not content with the veritable zoo of daikaiju they’ve already utilized, Mowry and Frank introduce Biollante into the RotE world.